Man and beast : monstrosity, identity, and the post-war freak show in "Ode to Kirihito"

Abstract:

Monsters have long played an important role in the American and global cultural framework. While often constructed as adolescent literature, the pioneering work of Japanese comic book authors in the wake ofWW2 used Japan's rich lineage of folklore and mythology to synthesize the trauma of atomic bombing into rich cultural discourse. The analysis of monster theory in relation to Ode to Kirihito, a classic 1970-71 text by the "Japanese Walt Disney", Osamu Tezuka, contextualizes the pervasive theme of monstrosity in a text newly published in North America, yet deeply imbued with Japanese post-war anxiety. I examine this text, as well as figure it within the pantheon of Tezuka's oeuvre and other "A-bomb literature" such as Barefoot Gen and Onibaba.